Hi everyone, fairly new here I have a mini 3 and a mini3 pro.  I have basically been flying my drone at various heights 130 - 240 haven't tried going higher yet.  I'm also gun shy on the fly to home haven't tested it yet.  Default settings are like 360 feet not sure if I can keep VLOS that high so scared to lose the drone.  What are your experiences with it?

I never fly above the legal limit of 400 feet AGL.  Unless I'm trying to do an extra wide FOV top down shot I'm normally around 200 feet AGL.  I live on a large boat so I take off and land via hand.  I practiced this in an open field on my property until I had it down comfortably.  I've tested RTH just so I'll know hot it flies but I never set my RTH altitude more than 20 feet above the highest tree or obstacle in my flight area.  Once the drone is back at my take off location I will cancel RTH and land it on my hand manually.  

DowntownRDB Posted at 5-19 12:17
I never fly above the legal limit of 400 feet AGL.  Unless I'm trying to do an extra wide FOV top down shot I'm normally around 200 feet AGL.  I live on a large boat so I take off and land via hand.  I practiced this in an open field on my property until I had it down comfortably.  I've tested RTH just so I'll know hot it flies but I never set my RTH altitude more than 20 feet above the highest tree or obstacle in my flight area.  Once the drone is back at my take off location I will cancel RTH and land it on my hand manually.

Appreciate the information, going to the park this weekend for more flying practice.  Good point instead of leaving the default 396 RTH i'll manually set it above what is around me.

scoot_flys_drones Posted at 5-19 13:02
Appreciate the information, going to the park this weekend for more flying practice.  Good point instead of leaving the default 396 RTH i'll manually set it above what is around me.

That's a great plan.  No need for the drone to have to ascend too high when not needed to clear tallest obstacle, especially if you ever get into a low battery situation.  I use the extended battery on my Mini 3 Pro but never return with less than 20% battery remaining.  I guess I'm just a bit risk averse to losing the drone.  Good luck with your practice and Happy Flying.

Unless you have great eyesight, you will not be able to see the Mini Pro 3 above 350' above, and if you go beyond 500 ' laterally, unless it's under a cloud. no way. I would recommend a ViFly Strobe mounted under the drone . If it's BVLOS, it's illegal.  Fly Safe my friend.

HD Pilot Posted at 5-22 13:55
Unless you have great eyesight, you will not be able to see the Mini Pro 3 above 350' above, and if you go beyond 500 ' laterally, unless it's under a cloud. no way. I would recommend a ViFly Strobe mounted under the drone . If it's BVLOS, it's illegal.  Fly Safe my friend.

Never thought of adding lights that a great idea.  Thank you!

scoot_flys_drones Posted at 5-22 16:22
Never thought of adding lights that a great idea.  Thank you!

All you need to add are the white strobes for day use.

The ViFly are bright and light weight. With my PART 107 I'm able to test the Mini 3 Pro to a distance at night of 4 miles and that is with a white strobe on top and bottom , and a green steady on the right side and a red steady on the left with NO loss of visibility.

During the day, the best is about a half a mile.  

Safe Flying